Newbie in Mountain View, CA

[Natasha Keck]

Hi there. I'm a Computer Engineer turned stay-at-home turned real estate investor / property manager. My husband and I have purchased two investment residential townhouses (one in 2011, another in 2012) in Mountain View which we manage ourselves. We're looking to purchase a property for 2013. I tow around my two daughters to see properties, run rental open houses, and work the cash flow spreadsheet at home. I'm hoping to generate sufficient cash flow to allow my husband to retire in 10 years, and maybe along the way we might also raise two savvy young business women.

I'm particularly interested in topics related to how people are making things work in expensive locales (Mountain View property prices don't meet any of these rule-of-thumb investing metrics). I'm also interested in any tips on passing on the investment education to my kids.